I don't think the JO signing was a mistake at the time. JO was coming off a 70 game season, and his injuries in the playoffs were thought to be fairly normal. We needed a starting center, and JO's production was above-average for the position. On top of that, multiple teams were pursuing him.
Under those circumstances, a short-term MLE deal is market value, at the very least. In hindsight, we all would have preferred to target somebody else, but at the time Danny's reasoning was sound. It was a risk, but it was a smart risk.